Are you Adelaide Bound?

Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia with over 1.3 million in population as of writing. The population in Adelaide is not that big so we kinda’ have the luxury of many things like shorter travel time, quiet streets, no crawling traffic, housing affordability, people are friendlier, more polite and courteous. You probably can feel a real sense of community out here. Adelaide City is brilliantly designed such that you have the hills on the east side and over 70 kilometres of coastline on the west.
I guess it is no secret Filipino migrants would mostly think of choosing the mega cities like Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane as a place to settle down when they come to Australia. And why not? When they offer more and bigger work opportunities for new migrants who are just about to begin their journey. But like many other things, there have been always the pros and the cons. The most obvious of them is the high cost of living in these cities like rent for example: in Sydney you can probably get a tiny apartment around $450-600 a week plus the travel time to work is outrageous while in Adelaide you  can get between $350-$450 for a 3-4 bedroom house with a backyard and a swimming pool if you’re lucky!  And just within 20-30 minute commute to the Central Business District. How’s that for a start?

Adelaide has been ranked as 5th most liveable city yet again by the Economist Intelligence Unit’s liveability index for 2016. I think they’ve factored in better quality of life and lower housing prices. Adelaide is very easy to navigate, you’ll find the beach and the hills within easy reach, lots of parklands and green open spaces, hundreds of world-class wine regions are just a short trip away, an atmosphere with a relaxed and friendly family feel – no doubt Adelaide is the place to come. There’s really no need to rush here we value the importance of looking after yourself, your family and your well-being, chill and stress-free that’s the way life should be, isn’t it? The long commute to work never happens here, no crowds, no queuing so you’ll find more time to relax. Get over with that life in the ‘fast lane’ instead aim towards better work-life balance. Moving down under means more time with your family, camping, road trips, beach bumming it’s really meant to be enjoyed the Aussie way. Here in Adelaide we have all-year round of festivities – Tour down under in January, Adelaide Fringe in February, Adelaide Festival in March, Adelaide Cabaret in June and the list goes on.

I won’t be a hypocrite to brag about the employment opportunities in Adelaide as you may already have read South Australia is on top of the list with the highest unemployment rate. Now, yes, that’s a fact! And while I don’t have an opinion about SA politics and how they run their economy I’m pretty sure you’ll find your place here with perseverance, lots of preparation and research before you even come. It is important to develop a winning job search strategy irregardless of which state you are in. While we don’t have Microsoft or Google offices here at least we have HP Enterprise that could possibly provide you with a desk. You can start by making a list of all the top head hunters, email them with your CV, follow up with a call and see if you can set a time to talk with them so they can profile you and help find the right roles for you, and put you forward to their clients. This can really get you started in the job market. And who knows, they might also be able to help you open a window of opportunity to working in the Public Sector. If you’re not picky, there’s always those odd jobs like working in hospitality, cleaning, kitchen hands, factory works that can help sustain living cost while finding your field of work. Working in the aged care sector is aplenty here and pays very well. One last tip, is to make as many friends as you can, make sure to network, a friend of a friend works wonders!

If you come here and you’re single, I suggest a share house would be reasonable. You can start by checking out housing and accommodation ads in Pinoyau forum. You can also join in the Pinoy AU Adelaide Facebook account and check out some ads there as well. A solo room would range from $125 to $175 per week and would normally already include internet and utilities. Be sure to get the address and check it against the google map so you will then know if it’s accessible by public transport, near a bus stop, train station, supermarkets and how long it will approximately get you to the city or where you’ll possibly work soon.
For a small family of 3-4, an apartment unit will probably get you settled temporarily say 1 to 2 years or until you get stable jobs. These units with 2 bedrooms ranges from $230 to $290 per week depending on which suburbs. The deposit normally around 4-6 weeks advance rental.
For larger families, a 3 bedroom house would range from $330 to $390 per week again depending on the suburb. I have attached a map of Adelaide in this blog to give you a list of suburbs that are conveniently located.